Singer-songwriter Pierce Edens grew up in North Carolina, and it is this place and the rich history of Appalachian music that has informed his work as an artist. Edens has dedicated himself to soaking up his surroundings, channeling the region’s heritage of folk and bluegrass music into his own thoughtful music. Along with his partner in crime Kevin Reese, Edens does a damn fine job at spinning old timey Appalachian music and a rougher, grungier rock sound into something all his own.
On June 2nd Pierce Edens will drop his new album Stripped Down Gussied Up. The album is a culmination of the sounds Edens has been projecting over the last ten years. Here again, Edens pulls together light and dark— Stripped Down Gussied Up is both haunting and fiery; a concoction of psychedelic-grunge, with Eden’s raw, tortured country bray at the helm.
Today Glide Magazine is excited to premiere the new tune “The Bells of Marshall”. This heartfelt acoustic tune captures Pierce Edens reflecting on the place where he grew up and the rich history that made him who he is today. It’s a sad song but it’s not meant to bring you down.
Offering his own take on the song, Pierce Edens has this to say:
“My hometown in North Carolina is barely a wide spot in the road, sandwiched between a cliff and a river. We’ve got an island in a northbound stretch of the French Broad river, two stoplights, a courthouse, some train tracks to Tennessee, and a host of small town mountain history. I consider myself fortunate to have a home with some roots. But even a happy load can get heavy. Sometimes the best thing about any town you’re in is the road headed elsewhere. I was downtown one day when a train went by, and the ache of it hit me, I put pen to paper and a bittersweet little song fell out all at once. We put it down in the studio a few days later.”
LISTEN:
Pierce Edens releases Stripped Down Gussied Up on June 2nd. For more music and info visit pierceedens.com.
Photo: Max Ganly
